opinion

The Green Movement and Some Fine Points

1. The Iranian people’s green movement needs tolerance, durability and stubbornness. These three old friends bring victory, and leaders, managers, university students and the middle class must keep them at the top of their agenda.

2. The Iranian green movement seeks three elements in which women and men, Iranian ethnicities and groups are all counted in and enjoy equal rights.

3. The Iranian green movement does not seek to eliminate any Iranian class, force, figure or individual. It regards everyone to have rights and therefore wants every person and every thing and every force and individual to be placed in its proper position.

4. The green movement needs to continue on its path peacefully and with perseverance until its legitimacy is recognized. That will happen, but when those in power accept it, the movement must still defend the rights of all Iranians within the citizenship rights framework. Every Iranian has rights, regardless of whether leftist or right-winger, whether insider or outsider, whether religious or secular, whether Persian or Turk, whether Kurd or Lor.

5. The green movement abides by and defends the law, but it wants law for the Iranian, not Iran for the law. Therefore laws are not absolute, but the means for their change must be legal.

6. The movement must be present massively, diversely, and legally wherever possible because there is a limit to oppress and control and imprison people. Time is not on the oppressor’s side, we must continue; but slowly, with joy and a smile. This green movement is smiling, not frowning, because it is not after a revolution.

7. The green movement is widespread, but not universal. It wants change, not a revolution. It wants to work with the rulers to attain its citizenship rights in accordance with the constitution. Therefore, it needs numbers and a peaceful presence.

8. The green movement must demand televised debates between its leaders, managers, intellectuals and university students and the opposing camp. Television can more effectively reveal the green movement’s virtue.

9. The movement must be patient. The movement needs peacefulness, stubbornness and vitality to achieve. Reforms are like cooking a stew, but revolution is like cooking an egg. Patience and victory are ancient friends.

As a method to overthrow a regime, a revolution does not achieve democracy. It is a coercive overthrow. Only what comes by force requires force to stay or survive. This is the experience we have from the Constitutional Revolution and the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Repeating the past is bitter and difficult. Nations that lack collective history repeat the past and end up regretting their rash decision.

Opposing revolution as a means is not equal to opposing fundamental change. Any change can be achieved with persistence and participation of millions, but the means of change are important. Easing into change is different from imposing change. Revolution is imposing change accompanied by propaganda and coercion. But easing into change is necessary for a society to undergo change without coercion and reactionary emotions.